Falling is Easy

"Mia..." A faint voice is calling out in the small almost barren room. "Mia, wake up..." The sound of muffled breathing echos in her ears, the sound of a heart monitor following after. Mia awakens, blinking pain medication-induced sleep from her eyes. Her eyes dart about the room, tinging with panic as she takes in the I.V. drip and tubes sticking out of her arm. Mia, fully panicking now, attempts to sit up but is restrained by a gentle hand. She is slowly pushed back down onto the hospital bed, the gentle hand holding her's the whole time.

Mia glanced towards her hand, seeing a slightly large, tan, masculine hand holding hers. Relief flooding through her body, Mia let her eyes travel from the hand holding hers to the face of the hand's owner. Deep blue eyes, tan, and an amazing smile; Mia would know that face anywhere. "Heath..." She whispers, startled by how weak her voice sounds.

"Mia," He responds, flashing a smile. "You gave me quite a scare. I got the call that you had been in an accident and panicked. I was so worried about you!"

"Accident?" Mia asks, her confusion showing clearly on her face.

"You... don't remember?" He responds slowly, his smile vanishing instantly.

"It was something to do with my car, wasn't it?" Mia asks tentatively, relief flooding through her like a river when Heath nods. "I think I remember now, I was driving through the city when the car in front of me crashed. I stepped on the brake so I wouldn't hit them but someone sped through the light behind me and hit my car. They hit me at an angle for some reason and I got knocked into the opposite lane..."

"That's it, you got knocked into the other lane right as a car was passing and they hit your side of the car. It's a good thing that you remember, if you hadn't the doctor said they'd have to keep you here longer."

"How long am I going to be here for? Is there something wrong with me?" Mia demands, not liking the expression on Heath's face. It was a look of forced calmness tinged with worry, an expression that said he knew more than he was letting on. "Heath?"

"I don't know, Mia." Heath responds after a long period of silence, turning away so she couldn't see his expression. "The doctor and nurses won't tell me anything, but I'm sure you'll be fine."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because you're strong Mia and I can't imagine losing you." Rising from the chair next to her bed, Heath stands and kisses her hand before walking to the door. "Mia?" He pauses in the doorway, glancing over his shoulder at her. "There's always hope, remember that." With that remark, he was gone.

Feeling a wave of tiredness wash over her, Mia lets her eyes slowly close. As her hand slips off the call button for the nurse and hits the bed, Mia hopes that Heath was right.

Because sometimes, this thing called hope doesn't work out.